Table 1. RECOMMENDED CANTALOUPE AND WATERMELON VARIETIES FOR LOUISIANA Image Variety Description Days to Fruit Resistance & Name Harvest* Size Tolerance Cantaloupe Ambrosia Eastern, round cantaloupe with peach- 86 days 4.5-5 lbs Downy mildew, colored flesh; very sweet and juicy; powdery mildew very flavorful; small seed cavity; hybrid Aphrodite Round cantaloupe with salmon- 80 days 6-8 lbs Fusarium wilt, colored flesh; slight netting; stores powdery mildew well; firm and sweet flesh; early variety; hybrid Athena Round cantaloupe with peach-colored 79 days 5-6 lbs Fusarium wilt, flesh; resistant to cracking, with tough powdery mildew rind; good shelf life; widely adapted; hybrid Hale’s Best Eastern, oval cantaloupe with salmon- 80-86 days 4-5 lbs colored flesh; juicy and flavorful; heavy netting and slightly ribbed; thin rinds; heirloom variety from California Primo Oval cantaloupe with dark orange 79 days 5-7 lbs Downy mildew, flesh; smooth rind; heavy netting; Fusarium wilt, small seed capacity; firm, very sweet powdery mildew hybrid Watermelon Diploid/Seeded Allsweet Large, oblong watermelon with dark 90 days 25-30 lbs Anthracnose, green, thin stripes and bright red flesh; Fusarium wilt very sweet; open-pollinated AU Producer Blocky, round watermelon with bright 85 days 25-30 lbs Anthracnose, red flesh; sweet; stores well; high Fusarium wilt, yielding, heirloom variety from gummy stem blight Alabama Black Large, oblong watermelon with tough 90 days 40-75 lbs Diamond green rind and bright red flesh; flavorful; good foliage cover; productive; stores well; heirloom variety Charleston Oblong watermelon with light gray- 90 days 30-40 lbs Grey green rind; fiberless red flesh; juicy, productive heirloom variety Crimson Classic, oblong watermelon with bright 85 days 15-25 lbs Anthracnose, Sweet red flesh; high quality; reliable; juicy Fusarium wilt and fine-textured flesh; dark green striping; open-pollinated Desert King Oblong watermelon with light green 85 days 12-20 lbs Sunburn rind and yellow-pink flesh; very sweet; stores well; drought tolerant; heirloom variety Jamboree Long, blocky watermelon with bright, 88 days 25-30 lbs Anthracnose, deep red flesh; very sweet and Fusarium wilt flavorful; uniform, adaptable hybrid Jubilee Compact variety; oblong watermelon 90-95 days 10-13 lbs Anthracnose, with red flesh; juicy and crisp; very Fusarium wilt sweet; open-pollinated Moon and Large, oblong watermelon with dark 85-105 days 40 lbs Stars green rind decorated with large yellow “moons” and small yellow “stars”; dark red flesh; very flavorful; grows well in warm temperatures; heirloom variety from Missouri Regency Long watermelon with gray-green rind 85 days 30 lbs Anthracnose, and pink flesh; juicy and flavorful; Fusarium wilt, IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE hybrid hollow heart, white heart, sunburn Royal Star Oblong watermelon with green striped 84 days 21-26 lbs Anthracnose, rind and bright red flesh; very Fusarium wilt productive; stores well; small seeds; hybrid Sangria Long watermelon with green striped 85 days 20-25 lbs Anthracnose, rind and red flesh; juicy and flavorful; Fusarium wilt very sweet; hybrid Summer Oblong and blocky watermelon; green 85 days 28-30 lbs Anthracnose Flavor 720 or striped rind; bright red flesh; sweet 710 and crisp; very productive; hybrid Tendersweet Oblong watermelon with green striped 85 days 25-40 lbs rind and orange flesh; productive; very sweet and flavorful; open pollinated Icebox Sugar Baby Small, round watermelon with solid 75-77 days 6-12 lbs dark green rind and deep red flesh; small seeds; high yielding; reliable; drought tolerant; grows well in cool conditions; heirloom variety Triploid/Seedless Amarillo Round watermelon with green striped 82 days 15 lbs rind; bright yellow flesh; sweet; hybrid Buttercup Round watermelon with green striped 90 days 14-16 lbs rind and bright yellow flesh; flavorful; crisp and very sweet; productive hybrid Gypsy Round watermelon with red flesh; 75 days 13-17 lbs Anthracnose IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE uniform, flavorful hybrid Millionaire Oval blocky watermelon with thick, 90 days 18-22 lbs Anthracnose, green rind and dark pink flesh; solid Fusarium wilt and firm; very productive; high quality; hybrid Notes: * From transplant to harvest Table varieties selected from recommendations from LSU AgCenter, UF Extension, Texas A&M Extension, and Southeastern U.S. Vegetable Crop Handbook. Variety descriptions and images compiled from High Mowing Organic Seeds, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Reimer Seeds, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Sow True Seed, Jordan Seeds, Hoss Tools, Willhite Seed, Sustainable Seed Company, Osborne Seed Company, Sakata Seed America, and Syngenta. Other recommended varieties for Louisiana include: Cantaloupe: Caravelle, Gold Strike, Magnum 45, Mainstream, Mission Perlita, Royal Sweet, Star Brite, Uvalde Watermelon: Imagination, Liberty, Matrix, Mickey Lee, Millennium Mirage, Patriot, Revolution, Stars ‘N Stripes, Summer Gold, Tender Gold, Treasure Chest, Tri-X 313, Vanessa .